Run the race

As we gather around our tv sets to watch the Olympic games we will hopefully see Great Britain win many medals. We’ll be cheering as we watch athletes we’ve never heard of, competing in sports we’ve never seen before, come close to winning the prized gold medal.

Those athletes will have given their whole lives for the cause. They will have been ferried to training by their devoted parents. They’ll have sacrificed the nights out at university to ensure they were fresh for the 5am start the next day. They’ll have gone through real pain and hardship to get where they are today.

But as we look at the elite athletes we need to spare a thought for those who aren’t there. Those who missed out on the qualifying time. Or weren’t selected. And that’s without thinking of the people who did not have the discipline, self-sacrifice and single-mindedness to pursue the ultimate goal.

The Christian life is compared to an athlete’s training on many occasions in the Bible. It is compared to a race that we need discipline for if we are to reach the finishing line. And this leads us to think about the way we’re going about living our lives. The Bible tells us that we need to persevere and work through hard times because the ultimate goal is within reach and more glorious than even an Olympic gold medal.

If we call ourselves Christians then we need to ensure that we are continually moving forward. We need to be disciplining ourselves in reading scripture, praying, attending church and keeping ourselves away from ungodly things.

The Christian life is one of discipline, self-sacrifice and single-mindedness to pursue the ultimate goal.

And the wonderful thing is that we have the greatest trainer. Jesus has travelled the road before us. He suffered to the point of death so that he could restore our relationship to God. And he gives us everything we need to complete the race.

Will you join us this summer to find out more about him?

Of first importance – the cross and the empty grave

This time of year is an exciting time for Christians. We’re building up to the central dates in our calendar – Good Friday and Easter Sunday. These days are important because they remind us each year of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Both of those events should make us ponder. What type of religion commemorates a man’s death by remembering all the grisly details of his final hours? What type of crazy belief system then celebrates that same man coming back to life? It’s a bit odd if you hear this for the first time. What on earth is Christianity all about?

One of the earliest Christian preachers, a man named Paul, wrote that the most important thing for us to know about Christianity was “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures ” (1 Corinthians 15: 3-4). This makes things even odder. Paul tells us that these events were in some way the fulfilment of promises made in an ancient book. This is craziness. It’s absurd. Unbelievable.

And yet it is the centre of the Christian faith. And the clue to the importance of the death and resurrection of Jesus is in these words of Paul. The reason why we commemorate the death of Jesus is because he died “for our sins”.

The Bible tells us that the world and everything in it was created by God. But that human beings rebelled against their creator. That rebellion is called sin and all of us are guilty of it. Have you told a lie, pinched something without asking, got angry at someone and called them names? Many of us have. And all of us have thought about those things. This is sin – ignoring God and his ways in his world.

But the cross tells us that Jesus died for our sins. Jesus took the punishment that we should have as lawbreakers and represented us. He substituted himself for us so that our sins would be put to death and we could come into relationship with God again. And that’s why the resurrection is so wonderful – it proves that this is what happened and that sin has been conquered. Because the ultimate consequence of sin is death – but thanks be to God, Jesus has beaten death.

So please don’t dismiss the events of Good Friday and Easter. They’re the only hope we’ve got in this world.

Warning: This Face Cream Contains False Promises

Where does the time go? This time last year my wife and I were preparing for the arrival of our first baby. Now we’re preparing for Hannah’s first birthday. Last year we had a precious baby waiting to join us, today we have an almost-walking, almost-talking little girl with her own personality. It has been a wonder to see her grow and we now look back at old photos expressing amazement that Hannah was ever that small.
Many of us may also be looking back at our lives wondering where the time went. In our minds we’re still the vibrant youngsters we were but when we look at our bodies… well the less said the better.
The Bible is really matter-of-fact about this passage of time. It doesn’t sugarcoat it for us either. It says: “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass.” (Isaiah 40:6-7 ESV)
Oh, thanks. My life is like the grass and flowers that look great for a time and then fade away. That message goes against everything we’re told by TV adverts. They tell us that we can be young forever, if only we had the right face cream, clothes or gadgets. The Bible tells us something different.
This may seem depressing – perhaps because we’re so used to the message of modern life. But it leads to great freedom. The Bible continues to say: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8 ESV)
Everything around us is getting older but there is one who stands firm. There is one who is unchanging, who is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the one who experienced our life – and death – and now is alive for ever more with the promise of the same for us. We won’t find the secret of eternal life in a pot of cream, a new jacket or an iPad.
We find it in Jesus Christ who stands forever.

A new start

Well, that’s it. It’s all over. Another British summer has gone by. Did anyone see the sun? September is the time when we think about starting up again after the long, lazy days of summer. Children and teachers are going back to school, activities are starting up again and we all feel like it’s time to get back to work.

For some this is an exciting time. The thrill of starting a new school or job can be a great feeling. Others will be approaching September worrying what the future holds.

Have a break…

…have a taste of the ordinary means of grace.

June seems to be one of those months that sits in the middle of the year, minding its own business. Christmas and Easter are long gone, the summer holidays are still a few weeks away and there doesn’t seem to be any special happening at all.

This makes life very difficult for me as I write this letter as there’s no obvious place to start. I haven’t got a church festival to comment on, or any new programmes to invite you to. There was a very serious possibility that this page would be blank. 

I don’t think that this lack of activity is a problem. Many of our lives are over-burdened with activity. Our jobs, our family and our leisure activities all demand time from us. Sometimes it feels that we’re on a hamster wheel and can’t get off. And then the church comes along and asks us to do something which we feel we can’t say no to.

However, this shouldn’t be our experience. The church is not another social club but a body of people who belong to God and live for him. We gather together on a Sunday to take a break from the cares of this world and listen to what God has to say to us. We take a break on a Sunday to be fed a great big meal by our great big God. He doesn’t ask us to bring anything to that meal – just ourselves – because he’s provided everything needed for us. Jesus said: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). 

So enjoy this time of year. Use the time to come to God in prayer and read your Bible. Use the time to sweep away all the other distractions of this life and come to Jesus who will carry your burdens now and forever.